Cali Vinnett: Mediator extraordinaire
by Cali Vinett
Summary: There's a new mediator in California. She's a badass rebel and hates the place, but can't do anything about it. She has some weird powers and they're freaking everyone out. But, when Suze disappears, it's all up to Cali to fix things. (Final Chapter up!)
1. Cali Vinnett

A/N: As you all should know, I did not write the Mediator series. Meg Cabot did. Anything familiar is hers, not mine. The plot is mine, all miiine! MUAHAHAHAHA…I rated this for language. This is my first Mediator fic, so lemme know what you think!

Summary: There's a new mediator in Carmel, and she has some really weird abilities that are starting to scare everyone. Everyone except Paul, that is. Paul meets Cali and decides Suze isn't worth it. After almost deciding to kill him, Cali's reputation starts to go bad. But when Suze disappears, Calixte Vinett is the only one who can find her. 

Chapter 1: Cali Vinnett: Mediator Extraordinaire 

**Cali**

I woke up in the morning, dreading the day to come. This was the day we moved. Wonderful. Juuuust peachy. I was moving away from all my friends and family just so my dad could take a job in Northern California. Northern California! Ugh…I just knew it was going to suck majorly. 

"You awake, Cali?" I heard mom call from the other side of my locked bedroom door. My full name's Calixte Vinnett, but no one calls me that and lives to tell the tale. "Calixte" is supposed to mean "very beautiful," which is kind of embarrassing, since I don't agree. So I make everyone call me Cali. Besides, Cali sounds better with the rest of my name.

"Yeah, mom," I droned, absolutely dreading every second of being awake. Last night had really drained me. 

See, I'm not exactly a normal girl…I see things. Ghosts, to be more specific. I see ghosts. The ghost I had been dealing with had been trying to kill me. I hate dealing with pissed off ghosts. They're _really _violent. The ghost last night had thrown me off the roof. I had, shockingly enough, landed on my feet, twisting my ankle badly. It hurt like _hell. Anyway, I'm – at least, I think I am – a mediator. There's only one person who knows about it. My best friend, Rachel, and I don't intend to tell anyone else. As if the whole me-being-able-to-see-unhappy-dead-people-who-often-want-revenge thing weren't enough, I have some other weird abilities, too. One of them being telekinesis, which I've found to be rather useful, by the way, when dealing with ghosts. Ghosts often have strange abilities like that, too. It helps to be able to deal with them in terms they'll understand.  _

See, they don't like to be told to do things, so I don't tell them. I move them. That and I'm telepathic, which really sucks a lot of the time, as I can hear things people think and often can't tell that they're not _saying_ it. 

I sighed and yanked my covers off me telekinetically. You know, it's not as hard to move things with your head as people make it out to be in the movies and stuff. Really, I just use my eyes like an extra hand and see the hand moving whatever it is I wanna move. Anyway, I sat up on the edge of my bed, putting my head in my hands for a few minutes. 

"Morning," said a voice from my closet. 

I jumped. "Don't you ever _knock, or something? Jesus, Rachel…" I complained. Oh, and did I mention Rachel's a ghost? Yeah. She was killed in a car accident about four months ago, and has been following me around ever since. Not that I mind, of course. We were friends before she kicked the bucket, and to tell the truth, I haven't been trying very hard to figure out why she's still here. Now I felt bad, though, because I was about to leave and she'd be stuck here._

"Come on, Cali, we're gonna miss the plane!" Mom called. 

"Alright, _alright!" I shot back. I hate being rushed. I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a black, spaghetti strap shirt with a flattering neckline. I threaded a studded belt through the loops. The belt had a chain hanging off of it that smacked against my legs if I walked wrong. I hooked my necklace around my neck. My favorite one had a sliver chain and a transparent, black teardrop shaped pendant that encased a little sphere that looked exactly like the full moon. I mean, exactly like it – down to every little crater. I put my treble clef earrings on, and slipped my tanned legs into my knee boots. I brushed a little black eyeshadow over my lids, matching my mood. I looked in the full-length mirror and grinned. Kickass. I grabbed my favorite pencil and, after brushing through my unfortunately blonde hair, twisted the pencil into it. As I grabbed my purse and walked out, I picked up another pencil and absently spun it in my hands as I walked down the stairs. _

"Tada," I said dully. 

"Finally. What took you so long?" my dad asked. Ugh. He annoyed me. He thought he was soooo funny…and it made me want to hurt him. _Badly…_not that I would, of course. I like to stay in their good graces so they don't bitch at me if they catch me sneaking in at night from a ghost-kicking episode. Some ghosts just don't _listen_! It's enough to drive a girl crazy. I sighed as I took a last look at the house. "Goodbye, life," I said to it. 

As we walked to the cab that was waiting for us in the driveway, I started getting depressed. I was walking away from my whole life to go live in _California. Jesus. And if that wasn't bad enough, I was told that I'm gonna attend a Catholic school. Would you believe that? Mom couldn't let me go to that music school. That school wanted me there. I gave them a song I wrote, a tape of my singing, and they were drooling over me! Drooling! Seriously! But nooo, of course not. Mom didn't want me to go to the school that wanted me there. I had to go to Junipero Serra Mission Academy. My worst nightmares come true. _

Damn it. 

So a plane ride, four books and a cab later, we were standing in front of our new house. Yeah, four books, I know…I read disgustingly fast. I have no idea why. I grabbed my suitcase and walked up to my room. It was kind of an old house…oh well. I could handle any ghosts that decided to bother me if I actually tried to sleep. Have I mentioned that I really hate to sleep? The feeling you get when you wake up is just awful. It's a hell of a lot easier to just not sleep. Of course, due to this I've passed out a few times, but hey…I'd rather pass out than consciously subject myself to sleep. 

I looked around my new bedroom for a few minutes and saw (to my great relief) no ghosts. ~Thank God, ~ I thought. Yeah. Thought. That was until some guy showed up at my front door. My room was really white…I was going to paint on the walls as soon as I got enough cash to buy some brushes and paints.

"Cali?" mom called up the stairs. 

"Yeah?" I yelled back. 

"There's a boy at the front door. He says he saw you walking in and wanted to meet you. Come downstairs!" she yelled after waiting a few minutes and not seeing me walking down the steps, which were, by the way, this really ugly colored wood. 

"Damn it, I'm here five minutes and the guys are already annoying me," I complained to myself and reluctantly walked down the stairs just as mom was about to start yelling again. 

"Finally," she said dryly as I walked past her and opened the front door.

I caught myself before I said anything like "whoa" to give him the wrong impression. But just barely caught myself. Daaaamn, was he hot! "Ah, hi?" I said, sounding annoyed. 

"Hi yourself. Paul Slater," he said, introducing himself by reaching a hand out to me. 

"Cali Vinnett," I said flatly, not moving to take his hand. This guy had a weird aura. Something wasn't quite right… "Short for Calixte, but don't you dare call me that," I said, then realized my mistake. He had been thinking of what Cali could be short for. Shit! I was already revealing my – er – abilities. 

He grinned. "You read my mind." 

I glanced at his watch, which told me it was almost 7' pm. "Gee, look at the time. I'd better be going. Bye," I said, starting to close the door. I jerked it back open when he stuck his hand between the door and the frame. "Jesus! Are you trying to get your hand chopped off, or something?" I yelled at him. Guys annoy me. They really do. Back home in Michigan, I had always had trouble with guys. They liked me, and I wanted them to leave me alone. I didn't want to have anything to do with them. Ghost busting took up most of my time when I wasn't writing a book, a song, or doing something involving music or the stage.

"Nope. Just trying to talk to you. You going to the Mission Academy, right?" he asked. God! Why wouldn't he leave me alone?

"Yes. Bye," I snapped, trying to close the door, but he put a hand on the door, stopping it. He was making me mad. ~Bad idea, Slater,~ I thought to him. As he tried to register the fact that I had spoken to him without moving my mouth, I slammed the door telekinetically. He unfortunately moved his hand just in time. 

"Who was he?" Dad asked.

"Nobody. Just some idiot boy who goes to the Mission," I said flatly. 

"Aww, you should give him a chance! I thought he was cute," my mom said. My _mom_! Honestly…

"Ew," I said disgustedly. "If you need me, I'll be in my room, meditating on the fact that I have just been forced out of my life," I said bitterly, and stomped my way up the stairs.


	2. The Mission Academy

Chapter 2: The Mission Academy

            **Cali**

I jumped at the sound of my alarm clock, then smacked the thing as hard as I could, turning off that incessant beeping. "Ugh," I grumbled, and sat up on the edge of the bed. I really did not want to be going to school today. I didn't want to be here at all, but if I didn't go along with it, Mom would start to worry and bother me. I hate when she worries about me. She has a lot to worry about, what with my dad changing jobs, and her running the whole house…I just keep to myself during the school year. I love my mom. I really do, but if she thinks something's not right, she drives me totally nuts. 

I glanced at my closet and sighed. I always said Rachel's bubbly greetings annoyed me in the morning, but now I missed them. I stood up and braced myself against the wall, having stood up too fast. I hate when that happens. I walked into my closet, looking for the most morbid outfit I could get away with. I settled on a black spaghetti strap tank top with a rather low – cut neckline. I slipped a pair of fishnets on and pulled my black skirt that hung exactly two inches above my knees. I slipped my necklace on, my big hoop earrings, and ran a hairbrush through my hair, only to twist a pencil into it and put it up. I hate my hair. I really can't do anything with it, and it looks awful down, so I try to keep it up. As I walked downstairs, I grabbed a second pencil from my desk, spinning it around my fingers as I walked down those ugly wooden stairs. 

"What took you so long?" my dad asked, grinning. 

"Would _you rush if you were in my shoes?" I asked, putting on my knee high, black boots. They had three inch heels, and they were great for kicking ass. I love those boots. I walked over to the coffee pot and poured myself a mug. I must've dumped about six sugar packets into it. I couldn't seem to get it sweet enough. I downed about half of it, and then walked out to my dad's car, bag slung over my shoulder. I have my license, and I totally would've driven myself to the Academy just to spare myself my dad's "sense of humor" first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, having jet lag and all, I was dead tired. _

So dad dropped me off at the academy, and I walked in, following my map to the Principal's office. When I found it, the door was open. I cleared my throat quietly. "Excuse me, ah – Father Dominic?" I said in my sweetest "I'm a new girl, so be nice to me" voice. I looked at the old priest sitting behind a desk. He had white hair and – when he looked up – I saw baby blue eyes. I'll bet he was a looker when he was young.

"Ah, you must be Calixte Vinnett," he said with a smile, standing, and reaching a hand out to me. I shook it lightly, feeling really nervous for some weird reason. I blinked when I sensed a new presence. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a (really _hot and latino) ghost sitting on the couch to my right. _

When Father Dom turned around to get something from his desk, I glanced at the ghost. ~Hello?~ I mindspoke to him, causing him to jump – I swear – about six feet in the air and almost fall off the couch. 

"You can see me?" he said aloud, sounding rather shocked. 

"You can see him?" Father Dom said to me, turning around. 

"_You can see him?" I said to him. Oh, my God. Another mediator! I wasn't alone in the world! SAVED! Haaaaaaalelujah…_

Father Dom turned back to his desk, and I was vaguely aware of him turning on the PA system and calling a girl named Susannah Simon down to the principal's office while Ghost Guy moved over to give me something soft to sit on – namely the couch – while in shock. I flopped down onto it and started spinning the pencil around my fingers, a nervous habit. Moments later, a girl who – I'm sorry to say looked a bit of a prep – walked in. 

"Hello, Susannah," Ghost Guy said to her, waving slightly. 

"What's going on, Father Dom?" she asked, glancing warily at me. 

"Susannah, we have another mediator," Father Dom said excitedly, grinning at me. "Susannah, meet Calixte." 

Susannah and I stared at each other for a few minutes in complete shock. Had I worn too much black? Probably. She was wearing a taupe skirt and a white shirt. She had brown hair and bright green eyes, whereas I was wearing…black skirt, black shirt, black fishnets, and black boots. The only things that weren't black were my unfortunately blonde hair and my eyes, which I suspected were grey. Oh yeah, my eyes change colors. A lot. Susannah recovered first. "Suze Simon," she said to me. 

"Cali Vinnett," I told her, giving her my nickname. I _really _hate Calixte. Why, oh why did my mom have to give me _that name…of all the names out there…? "It means 'very beautiful'. I hate it," I said, before realizing that Suze hadn't said anything. "Shit," I muttered to myself. _

Suze raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I was wondering what it meant?" she asked. 

"Calixte, you have some…other abilities, don't you?" Father Dom said. 

I winced. Fuuuuuuuuuck. "N – no, why would you say that?" I asked, spinning the pencil faster in my fingers. It promptly flew out of my hands. Ghost Guy lunged and caught it, handing it back to me. "Thanks," I muttered, and started spinning it again.


	3. A New Mediator

A/N: Just so you all know, my chapters tend to be LONG. I'm writing a book, after all, and I'm used to that format. Don't kill meeee!

            Chapter 3: A New Mediator

                        **Suze**

Whoa. There was a new mediator in Carmel-by-the-sea, and she had some weird abilities. "You just answered my thought," I said. Really, I had been thinking "I wonder what Calixte means," and she just answered me. That was way cool. 

"That's really quite remarkable, Calixte. Could you do it again?" Father Dom said. I almost laughed. He was so excited about this…

"I – I shouldn't. I mean I don't…" Cali started to protest, then stopped and sighed. "Fine. Fine. Yeah, I've been able to do this my whole life, Father Dom." Wow, she must've dealt with a lot of ghosts. "Yeah, Suze, I've dealt with a lot of ghosts, and yes – er, whoever you are, I have telekinesis," she said to Jesse, who smiled. 

"Jesse," he told her, eyeing her outfit. He looked a little confused by it, actually. I mean, even _I was kind of confused by it. She was wearing all black, and fishnets and knee boots. What shocked me was that it looked _good_ on her. On me, that outfit would make me look like a slut. But on her, it just looked badass and rebellious. Ohh, how I envied her…At least, I hoped that look Jesse was giving her was one of confusion…_

"Suze, do you know a guy named Paul Slater?" she asked me, curious. I couldn't help but clench my hands into fists at the sound of his name. I hated him. I really, really hated him. Why did she know him? "He came over to my house. Said he saw me walking in and wanted to introduce himself," she said, having heard my thoughts. She seemed to dislike him, too. Smart.

"Yeah, I know him," I growled, glaring at the image of him I saw in my mind. "Jerk…Hey Cali, d'you wanna come over after school? Or something?" I blinked, and realized what I had just said. Did I really want her to come over? Actually yeah, I did…I was really curious about her. She was interesting. Different. Kind of intimidating, actually. I had a feeling she and Spike would get along. 

            Cali blinked, looking as shocked as I'd felt, hearing the words come out of my mouth. She obviously hadn't expected to make any friends on the first day. "Sure," she said hesitantly. "I mean, if you actually want me to come over," she added quietly. 

            Damn! I forgot she could hear my thoughts. "Yeah, I do," I assured her, smiling. I was honestly curious about her. She seemed kind of overwhelmed. I suspected that once you got to know her, she was really nice. But her first impression was something along the lines of "piss me off and you die." 

            Cali smiled. "Alright. Where should we meet…?" 

            "By the fountain?" I suggested. 

            Cali nodded. "Alright, by the fountain. Now if you all don't mind, I'd like to get to choir, as it's the only class I'm actually looking forward to," she said dryly, starting to get up. Almost as soon as she stood up, Jesse yanked her back down. 

            "Thank you, Jesse," Father Dom said. Had he told Jesse to keep her here? "You may go, Susannah. I need to speak with Calixte," he said to me, eyeing her. I stood kind of hesitantly, then shrugged and walked out. I envied Cali so much…she was just…graceful, really, is the only way to describe her. Catlike, almost. And by 'catlike,' I don't mean like Spike. I _really_ don't mean like spike. She just looked like she could fall flat on her face, and it would be one of the most graceful things anyone had ever seen. Now why couldn't _I be like that? If __I fall flat on my face, I fall flat on my face and everyone would laugh…I kept thinking about this all through English class…_

                        **Cali**

            "Look, Father Dom, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I really want to get to class. Can I go yet?" I asked, knowing I sounded a little whiny…but you'd feel whiny too if you were sitting on a couch next to a _really hot guy, talking to a priest. Even if the really hot guy happened to be dead…_

            "No. Listen, Calixte. There's a boy, Paul Slater. He's…not who you think he is," he said vaguely. 

            "Oh? So he's not a self-obsessed, arrogant asshole?" I said, really not caring about the language I was using in front of the priest. I sensed Jesse raise an eyebrow, shocked at my language. I heard him thinking _"Ladies should not_ stain their lips with cursing like that…"_ I grinned. "Pray tell, what __should I stain my lips with, then?" I asked, knowing I was being a horrible flirt and loving it. Oh come on. Jesse walked _right_ into that one. How could I not reply like that? You would've done the same._

            Jesse blushed. Blushed! Hahaha…Rachel had always said I could make any guy turn beet red in a matter of seconds. _Right again, Rach, I thought to her, though I knew she couldn't hear me. "I – Um," he stammered, much to my amusement. _

            I turned back to Father Dom, who was almost as red as Jesse was. "Calixte, now was that really necessary?" he asked me, his blush fading. 

            I appeared to think for a moment. Appeared. Yeah, did I mention I do a lot of acting? Another of my hobbies. "Hmm…Absolutely. Now if you'll excuse me," I said, standing. "I'll take my leave." 

            "I'm not done with you yet," Father Dom said, and I felt a hand yank me down by the back of my shirt. I instinctively slapped at it, but fell back onto the couch anyway. "Stay away from Paul Slater. He is…he's something else. We don't quite know what he is," Father Dom said hesitantly. 

            I shook my head. "I know what he is. As I said before, he's an arrogant, self-obsessed asshole with absolutely no brain between his ears. Like _all guys," I added dryly. I couldn't help it. Rachel, before she died, had started calling me a feminazi because I just _hated_ guys. I mean, I'm straight, but I hate guys. I wish to strangle each and every one of them. Except for maybe Jesse and Father Dom. Father Dom was nice and Jesse didn't seem all that bad. His good looks helped a little, too.  "I can I _please_ go to class now?" I begged, still flipping my spare pencil around my fingers. I stood, and as soon as I felt Jesse's hand grab my wrist, I sent all my telekinetic power at his hand, which detached itself from my wrist and slammed hard against the wall. _

            "Ow," he complained. 

            I rolled my eyes in response and gathered my bags. "Bye, Father Dom. Nice meeting you, Jesse," I called, walking out the door, holding my map and heading in the direction I hoped would lead me to the choir room. 

                        **Jesse**

            Well _she was an interesting specimen. She seemed a bit…cooler than Susannah. By "cooler," I mean calm, more laid back. She seemed a little edgy, though. She was definitely afraid to let others know about her powers. She and Susannah were alike that way. She really knows how to make a guy blush, though, I have to admit. _

            "Well, Jesse, what do you think?" Father Dominic asked me. 

            "About what?" I thought he was talking about Calixte, but I wanted to make sure…

            "About who, you mean. Calixte," he confirmed. I had to think a bit before answering. She was intimidating, even though she definitely wasn't big. I guessed she was about…five feet, five, maybe six inches tall. She could wear black. Oh, could she wear black…It looked excellent on her. It looked…different on Susannah. Calixte looked…there was a word I was looking for...black, intimidating…Oh. Dangerous. Calixte looked dangerous. Even her fingernails had been sharpened into rounded points. Her middle finger and thumbnail looked almost daggerlike. If I'm remembering correctly, I believe there was even a bit of dried blood on her middle fingernail. She was witty, too. You would've blushed too, believe me. 

            "Hmm," I said to Father Dominic. What could I say about Calixte? She was…she was a tease, really. She was beautiful, and she knew it. Though something about the way she spoke about Slater made me wonder what had happened to make her detest males so. Maybe she'd had her heart broken? That would do it. I'd talk to her when she came to Susannah's house. For all that Calixte looked dangerous and hated men, I liked her. I had to admit to myself that I liked her. The worst thing was, she probably knew. "I like her, Father Dominic. She and Susannah will get along famously." 


	4. Slater

            A/N: Yay, suspense! As for all you who worry that Jesse will leave Suze for Cali…I'd tell you what's gonna happen, but that's entirely up to the characters. They're really the ones writing this, not me. I just serve as a vessel for them so they can tell their own stories. *Grin* This happened with my books too…I didn't plan half the weird plot twists that happened in them…

Chapter 4: Slater. 

                        **Cali**

I walked into the courtyard, after getting lost twice. As I walked, I saw Suze sitting with two of her friends, one of which was an albino, I'm sure, and the other was a pretty good-looking guy. I started to walk over, but when I looked down at one of my rings, which was bothering me, I looked up and was met with a broad-shouldered, incredibly hot guy, dressed in a tee shirt and khakis. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the infamous Cali Vinnett," Paul Slater, the shifter, said to me, grinning. 

"Go away," I snapped and started to walk past him, but he stretched out an arm and stopped me. "Seriously, Slater. Go away," I said, glaring at him as my green eyes turned black. I clawed at him, and he caught my wrist, which I then twisted so I could dig my fingernails into his wrist. When he just grinned and let go, I clenched my hands into fists. My fingernails bit into my palms and I winced. "Ow," I muttered to myself. 

"Aww, your own little weapons backfiring on you?" he asked with a grin. 

My telekinesis was struggling against me. My subconscious wanted to throw him into the fountain, but I somehow managed to restrain myself. "Slater, go away before I do something we'll both regret," I said. 

Paul smirked. "Like you could do anything to hurt me, Cali. You're not strong enough," he said, and started walking towards me. I, of course, backed up quickly, trying to keep at least three feet between us. This quickly stopped working when I hit the fence and almost jumped forward.

"Slater, go away," I said, unable to back up any more. He put a hand against the fence, one arm on either side of my head, sort of capturing me. I felt my pulse start to speed up…

"Aww, Cali doesn't like me anymore," he said, trying to act upset and doing a _very bad job, I might add. _

"I never liked you. Get it straight," I snapped. It was getting really hard to keep my telekinesis under control. I felt myself start to sweat. "Leave me alone," I said weakly, starting to feel lightheaded. I hate that feeling. It happened whenever I had to really fight my telekinesis. It sucks. A lot. I've passed out from it… "Paul, go away," I snapped loudly. I'm sure my voice echoed throughout the entire school. 

"Slater, leave the girl alone," I heard a distinctly masculine voice snap from behind me. 

I was starting to have trouble breathing, the need to throw him into the fountain starting to overpower my ability to control my telekinesis. I could've pushed him away from me with it if I hadn't thought I'd accidentally toss him into the statues in the fountain instead. 

"Alright, but only because you asked so nicely, deSilva," he said to the guy standing behind me. I watched, glaring, as Slater turned on his heel and walked away from me, arrogant and asshole-ish as ever. God, I hated him. I'd only just met him, but I hated him. 

"Calixte, are you alright?" he asked, appearing in front of me. I jumped slightly. 

"Ow," I said to Jesse, letting myself slide down the fence and come to sit on the ground, holding my head. This was bad. Usually when the reason my telekinesis fought me went away, the headache, dizziness, or lightheadedness went away, too. It was still there. 

"Susannah," I heard Jesse call. 

Suze excused herself and walked over to me. 

"Have any Tylenol?" I asked, my head still in my hands. The headache was starting to go away, but I was still lightheaded. Shit. "Never mind. Does Slater have any powers I should know about?" I asked. 

"Yes. He can shift between the realms of the living and the dead," Jesse said. 

"Anything else?" I asked, looking up. 

"Not that I know of," Jesse said with a shrug. 

I sighed. "I feel something weird about him…He's hiding something, I know it…" He was, too. Something wasn't right. Paul seemed to _like_ upsetting me. That wasn't normal. "Suze, talk to me about Paul," I said, closing my eyes. When she opened her mouth, I held a hand up and searched her mind instead. Or at least, I tried to. I winced when I hit a mental block I don't think she knew she had on her mind. "Ow. Damn, Suze. You have some big secrets. Do you know you have a mental block on your mind strong enough to keep _me out?" I asked her, rubbing my forehead, which hurt every time I hit a mental shield. _

"Oh," she said quietly. "No, I didn't know. Sorry," she said, biting her lip. "What do you want to know about Paul?" she asked, running a hand through her brown hair with a sigh. 

            "Anything you know about him. Anything you think would help me figure out what he's hiding, and why he's hiding it. He has a mental block on _his mind, too." _

                        **Suze**

            Poor Cali…Or should I be saying "poor Paul?" Cali was really powerful, and she could probably do him some serious damage. Good. What to tell her about Paul, though? Should I tell her about how he hit on me, and how I had to walk out of his house with those stupid Jimmy Choos on? And how Jesse bandaged my feet, and – Oh crap! I forgot she can hear my thoughts…wait a minute, I have a mental block…no she can't…

            "Yes I can," Cali corrected. 

            Oh. Oops. Okay, Paul's an asshole. I swear, he bruised my lips that day. I admit, I kissed him back, but how can you not kiss someone back who kisses like that? Judging by Cali's amused smirk, I knew she'd heard that. "Is there a way to control my mental block?" 

            "Of course there is. What makes you think I'd tell you?" Cali said, smiling slyly. "Okay, okay, enough. I'll find out about Slater for myself," she decided. 

            "Calixte, I don't know -" Jesse started, but Cali interrupted him. 

            "Jesse, it's Cali. Not Calixte. I hate my full name. If you continue to call me Cali, I swear, I'll -"

            "Whoa, everybody freeze!" I yelled. _Damn_, was Cali violent. I'll bet she was scaring Jesse. I almost laughed when I saw the look on his face. He was looking at her with this "What kind of girl _are_ you?!" look on his face. 

            Then he said it, in the same tone he'd used on me when he'd seen me kick butt for the first time. "What kind of…_girl_...are you?" he asked hesitantly. 

            The next thing Cali did is something I doubt I'll ever forget. She glared at Jesse and lifted a hand. He levitated in the air, and then flew backwards at the fence. She smirked. "I'm the kind of girl who isn't afraid to speak my mind and show people how to treat me," she said, resting her hands on her hips. "I am the kind of girl you are apparently afraid of, cowboy." 

            Wow. She had a bit of a temper. But she was witty, I'll give her that…I looked at the clock and realized I had to get to class. "I'll see you two later," I said, then picked up my bag and walked away.

                        **Jesse**

            Cowboy? _Cowboy? She called me a __cowboy? Alright, that's it. "And what kind of girl hates men, Calix-Cali? Hmm?" I figured if it was going to bother her so much, I may as well call her what she wants me to call her. I almost looked away when I saw the pain in her eyes. _

            "What kind of girl hates men, you want to know?" she asked, her voice soft, but steady. "The kind of girl who had her heart broken. That's what kind of girl." Calixte's voice was hoarse, and her eyes, when I looked into them, were turquoise.  "I hate men because they're all liars and cheaters, and all they care about is the way you _look!" her voice had crescendoed to a painful cry. Something tightened in my chest. I felt so bad…I didn't mean to hurt her… "Too late, Jesse," she murmured roughly. _

            "I…_Querida, I'm so sorry," I said. I couldn't help it. She looked ready to break down crying. I reached out to touch her shoulder and she slashed me. _Slashed_ me! I looked at my arm and there were bright red gouges in it…_

            "Shut up, Jesse. Don't call me that," she said, and picked up her bag. 

            "Cali," I said, hoping to stop her from just walking away from me. 

            "_What?" she snapped, turning around. "And don't say you're sorry again. Don't try to make it better." When I opened my mouth to speak, she snapped. "And don't say you wish you could. You can't. Don't even bother trying, Jesse, unless you can heal a shattered heart. It's not worth your trouble," she said quietly, "and I don't want your pity." _

            Well she was making it rather hard for me to say _anything_. She kept picking up my thoughts before I could get a word in. "I –"

            "Jesse," she said, warningly. Damn. Her gaze was very intimidating for someone as pretty as she was. Wait a minute, wait a minute. What was I thinking? I shook myself. 

            "I just mean to say I'm sorry for what happened to you. I realize I can't fix it, _querida." She opened her mouth, I suspected, to tell me not to call her "_querida_" so I shook my head. "Calixte. Please, let me call you Calixte. Cali sounds so childish," I said, trying to justify myself. _

            Calixte glared at me for what seemed like an eternity, then nodded. "Fine. Call me Calixte. I don't care," she whispered. "I have to go. 'Bye, Jesse," she said, and then walked away. I sighed. Time to talk to Father Dominic. 


	5. Suze's Disappearing Act

A/N: Okay, as I said before…this is mostly to Shadoe, actually. I appreciate your reviewing me and giving me ideas, but I might remind you that if you want to write a story, go right ahead. This one's mine. Actually, it's theirs. The characters are writing this. Not me. Not that I'm claiming any character aside from Cali, that is. Point a) Cali is not evil. She reflects me, actually, and I'm most certainly not evil. Point b) I can't control what she does. Point c) If you were a true writer, you'd understand what I'm saying. I don't mean to be harsh, but honestly, I don't control what my character does, and how the others respond to her. They do. I have ideas to kind of guide them, but they write the plot, not me. Oh, and as a side note, If you don't like the story, don't read it. *Shrug* No one's forcing you to. Comprenez-vous? 

Good, I thought so. Moving on…

Chapter 5: Suze's Disappearing Act

            **Jesse** 

"And look at these, Father Dominic," I said, showing him my arm where Calixte had slashed me. "I don't know what to do. She hates me. She seems to hate everyone aside from Susannah." 

Father Dominic sighed. "I don't know. Heartbreak, hates men…I don't know what to do about her either, Jesse. Honestly, there are no books on women." 

"If there were, it would save us _all a lot of trouble," I drawled. I never understood any of them, and I doubted Calixte would be a first. I ran a hand through my hair. "I feel so bad about what I said…I didn't mean to hurt her…but how could I have known?" I was talking to myself, really. "Something's different about Calixte," I mumbled. _

Father Dominic, to my shock, nodded. "You're right. There is something different. The way her eyes change colors like that isn't quite…right. You know what I mean? I know she's not evil, or anything…the way she spoke about Paul sounded like she hated him…she couldn't _hate_ him…could she?" 

"You're asking _me? It sounds to me like she could hate all men. I wonder if Susannah could get her to talk," I thought aloud. "I'll talk to her and ask her to get something out of Calixte. She wouldn't go into details. Only told me she'd had her heart broken, and that's all." I sighed. How was I going to get into Calixte's mind? Even if I did have telepathy and mind-reading abilities, which I don't, she seems adept at all that, and I don't think I'd be able to get past a mental block she had on her mind…_

            **Cali**

God, was that embarrassing. I had been thinking about it through the rest of the day. I really need to learn how to keep my mouth shut about my problems. If I never saw Jesse again, it would be too soon. I repeat: I hate men, I _hate men, __I__ hate men!! Why the hell did they all __like me? I keep telling them to go away, and they keep bouncing back. Goddamn it. I hate my life…_

"Hello, hello," said a male voice from behind me. Fuck. "You're new, aren't you?" the guy said. 

"Yes. Go away," I snapped without turning around. I almost fell backwards when the guy stepped right in front of me. It was that pretty good looking guy that Suze had been sitting with at lunch. 

"I'm Adam," he said, holding out a hand, which I glared at. "Whoa – down, kitty," he said quietly, noticing my glare and taking his hand away. "I see this was a bad time…" 

I winced. I didn't like to be mean. I really didn't, but I couldn't handle another guy today. Damn my conscience… "I'm sorry…I'm having a very…off day today. I'm Calixte, but call me that and you'll really regret it. Cali," I said, giving him my nickname. 

"Cali. Cute," he said, grinning at me. I glared, mastering the urge to slap him. "Sorry," he mumbled. 

"Look, I gotta find my ride. Bye," I said, walking away. I walked over to the fountain and surprisingly, Suze wasn't there. No, it was the last person I ever wanted to see. Jesse. Damn it! Why couldn't I escape from him? "Oh no, not you," I complained, dropping my bag onto the ground with a thud. Then I dropped myself onto a bench near it, putting my head in my hands. 

"Calixte -"

"What do you mean you don't know – oh shit, I did it again," I mumbled. I've been having trouble controlling when I hear thoughts for awhile now. "When did you last see her?" Okay, so I don't leave you all confused, I just picked up from Jesse's head that Suze was missing. "Susannah," as he called her. Last he saw her, she had been walking into the building and I had been ready to kill him. "Sorry," I said quietly. I searched my mind, trying to figure out how I could find her. I quickly stopped when I started to give myself a headache. Then it hit me. "What do you think happened to her?" I asked him, still not looking at him. 

"The same thing you're thinking. Slater. My guess is where we find him, we find Susannah." 

I sighed. I really hated to use this part of my power, but it looked like I had to. There were two parts of my power that I _really_ hated. This one, which was essentially separating my mind from my body, was particularly nasty. My body went totally unconscious, and I always had this awful coughing fit when I put the two parts back together, from hardly breathing. Then there was the other part…I hated it. I _really_ hated it. I almost hated it more than I hate guys, which says a lot. I had this…weird power to put guys into trances. Unfortunately, I had to get kind of close to them. I had to be touching them, actually. My hands had to be somewhere on them, and more often than not, they fight me. I could always control it, and hardly ever used it, but I've had to, on occasion. I had a feeling this would be one of them. Damnit… "Okay. We need to get back to my house," I said with a sigh. Unfortunately, my house was about five miles away. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a pair of bigass wings…

Jesse moved to pick up my bag, but I snatched it away, telling him I was perfectly capable of carrying my stuff. "It just looked a little heavy," he said with a shrug. 

"See this?" I said, and flexed my bicep, which I'm proud to say is almost rock hard. (Hey, I gotta keep in shape to kick ghost ass.) "I do not need your help." Besides, if it got heavy, I could pull the weight with my telekinesis. I thought a minute, then groaned in frustration. I didn't know how to get back to my house. "Okay, I take it back. It's going to be Suze's house, since I don't know how to get back to mine," I said, running a hand through my hair. "You lead, Jesse," I said, hating to let a male be in charge. Oh well – I didn't see any other choice. As we started walking, I could hear him thinking to himself in Spanish. "Slow down, amigo. Yo no hablo espanol. How can I read your thoughts if I can't understand them?" I asked. I had to grin…I couldn't help it. "French, I can do. Spanish is almost a nada." 

            **Jesse**

"You do realize you just _spoke Spanish, right?" I said with a smile. I couldn't help but wonder how she was going to find Susannah. I started to ask, but decided the less I said the better. She hadn't seemed the sensitive type, but apparently the topic of men, or why she hates them, were both very unsafe topics of discussion. I wanted to learn more about her, but she seemed rather mad at me, so I didn't ask any questions. _

"Hey, just don't speak Spanish at me, or I'll be forced to speak French at you, mon cherie," she said. She had a perfect French accent. Nice. _Stop that, Jesse_! I ordered myself. I kept mentally complementing her, and she could probably hear it. I needed to guard my thoughts…

"Don't bother," she said. "You don't have the capabilities to form a mental shield strong enough to keep me out," she said, moving her messenger bag to the other shoulder and rubbing her right. I could feel some sort of power emanating from her…like she was preparing to do something, or charging her power. 

I reached out to grab her wrist, but changed my mind and grabbed her bag instead. "This way," I corrected when she started to cross a street and needed to turn right. 

"Wait a minute," she said, throwing an arm out and catching me hard in the stomach. Good thing I had muscles there… "How do we get in? I mean, her parents wouldn't recognize me and I couldn't make them think I was her…could I?" she asked me. How could I know what she could do? 

"We go in through the window in her bedroom," I told her, pointing to Susannah's house. "This is it. Wait here," I said, and dematerialized. I materialized on the porch roof, which stretched out just under the window, reaching a hand down to Calixte. 

Calixte – very hesitantly – reached up, and I leaned down a little farther and grasped her forearm, pulling her up easily onto the roof, and in through the window. "Wow, you're strong," she said to me, shocked. 

"Wow, you're light," I retorted. She was, too. She felt…what, about a hundred pounds? 105, maybe. But that was _with_ her bag. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me. I raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by this behavior. 

She raised one of hers back at me. "How did you get that?" she asked, pointing to the eyebrow I realized had a scar in it. 

"What? Oh – dog bite," I said, running a finger along it. Almost as soon as she sat down next to me as far away as she could get while still on the cushions, Spike jumped up between us. He turned to Calixte and blinked at her for a moment before clawing at her. I was about to warn her when I saw her flick her wrist and catch Spike's paw. 

"Bad kitty," she said in a low-pitched voice, then hissed at Spike, sounding exactly like a cat herself. Spike immediately jumped onto my lap and shrank back, trying to meld into the cushions and failing miserably.

I frowned. I'd never seen Spike act like that before. When I asked her what she did to him, she shrugged and said she'd done nothing. "Animals just respond to me," she'd said. "They called me kitty at my old school. Kitty, Kitten, nicknames along those lines." When I started to ask why, she held up a hand. "I'm balanced, I always keep my fingernails sharpened, I'm flexible, and I can make cats go running from the room when I hiss," she said with a grin. She shook her head. "Down to business. Okay, let me warn you about what's going to happen…I hate doing this. My body's going to go unconscious, and the rest of me will go out in search of Suze's aura. You have to keep watch on my pulse. Time it. If I'm not conscious in three minutes, try to call my mind. If _that_ doesn't work…never mind. It'll work. It's never failed," she said, failing to reassure me. 

It sounded like attempted suicide to me. Aside from the fact that she didn't_ want to die. "Calixte, what if -?" _

"No 'what ifs'. This will work. Trust me, Jesse." She sighed. "Alright, here we go…" 

            **Cali**

Oh, how I hated this…Oh well. I had to do it. I walked over to Suze's bed. No way was I going to let myself fall unconscious on the window seat and land on Spike and (humiliatingly) Jesse. I laid down flat on the bed after moving the pillows slightly. If I lay on pillows, I'd be likely to fall asleep, and that was bad. "Remember what to do?" I asked him. When he nodded, I sighed. "Alright…" I lifted my index and middle fingers to my temples and closed my eyes. I let go of my air as I pulled the energy out of my head, essentially knocking my body out. Before I went out, I felt Jesse's fingers come to rest on my throat, keeping tabs on my pulse. _Good boy_, I thought. I could feel my breathing start to slow as my mind soared out the window, searching for Suze. 

_Oh Suuuuuze,_ I thought. _Where are you? I was just about to loop back and see if I could find her by going in another direction when I felt her aura flare. What was going on? My mind's eye flew farther out, and I saw her. __Damn! She was tied up, bruised, and fighting unconsciousness. ~Suze, it's Cali. Jesse and I are coming to get you. Hang in there,~ I mindspoke to her, and sent her a little bit of my energy, as much as I could afford while still living._

Suddenly I felt another presence in the room. I knew it was Slater. He looked around, frowning, and then turned and stared right at my mind's eye. Shit! I saw him lift a hand and start to throw something at me, but before he could, I turned and bolted out of there as fast as humanly possible. I landed back in my body hard, and gasped as that chilly air filled my lungs. As was predicted, I had a nasty coughing fit, unable to speak for about five minutes. Jesse, at some point, went and got me a glass of water. 

"Well?" he asked me once I stopped coughing. 

"I fou – er," I croaked, then drank more water. I cleared my raw throat gently. "I found her." 


	6. Search and Destroy

            A/N: I just wanna say thank you to everyone for your awesome reviews! All except _sooomeome…*hack*CAIIIIT!*hack* *Grin* Love ya sis…_

Seriously, you have all kept me writing! My policy is you review, I update. Thankee!

**Lydia****: It's not a bio. All of my characters have some of my traits. Cali just happens to have a lot of them…Yes, I really do hate men. Heartbreak will do that to a girl…No, I have nothing published…but I have almost two books written. If you want a sneak peak at book three in the series (which I haven't written for real yet^^;; ) Go to www.fictionpress.com . Do a search on Cali Vinett and you'll find my single story. Thanks for the reviews!!**

**Emily: Yep, I write books. I have no publisher…but I'm working on it. =) **

**Luna: Thanks for all your motivating reviews! Seriously!**

And thanks loads to everyone who put this story in their favorites! Means _sooooo_ much to me, considering this is my first non booklength fic…Lol

            Chapter 6: Search and Destroy

                        **Suze**

            So I'm sitting there tied up in this old, abandoned building, and trying to stay conscious, when I suddenly hear Cali talking to me. I jumped and looked around, trying to find where she was coming from. Then I stopped, realizing I must've been hearing things. As soon as she told me to hang in there, I started to wake up. I saw Paul looking at something, and throw something and whatever he was looking at, and then all sense of Cali disappeared…

            "Let me _go!" I yelled at Paul. You would've yelled to, being tied up in a freezing cold building. Heating, anyone? I mean really. _

            Paul knelt in front of me. "Oh, no. You're the bait, Suze. For once, it's not you I'm after. Cali is a rival to me, and we can't have that. Cali's also the type of girl who'd go hero and try to save you. No doubt your beloved Jesse will come with her so he can save you while Cali's trying to defeat me. Then she will be _mine_," he said, grinning evilly. No, not evil. Sadistic. He was scary! Damn! And he was after Cali…Okay, I didn't know Cali that well, but I liked her. Not to mention the fact that she hated Paul. She seemed to hate all guys. I wished I could warn her…Paul was more powerful than she thought he was. He could really hurt her. _Cali! I thought as loudly as I could, and wasn't surprised when she didn't answer me. I knew I didn't have telepathy. Oh well…it had been worth a try…_

            "Now you just sit tight while we wait for your heroes to come save you," he said with a smirk, and stood up to walk around.

            Crap. How could I warn them? Then it hit me. Duh! _Jesse!_ I called. I looked around, trying to find him…but he didn't appear. What the - ? Oh. Paul probably did something to me so Jesse couldn't hear me…

                        **Cali**

            I sighed. "Alright, let's go. I'm gonna try something new, since I don't know exactly where they are. I'm going to be in a kind of a half trance as we walk so I can trace her aura…or Paul's, whoever's is stronger. I don't know if I'll be able to keep my body conscious while sending my subconscious out." When Jesse said nothing, I rolled my eyes. "Basically, if I collapse, catch me," I said flatly. I sat on the edge of the bed, and closed my eyes. _Suze, I thought, calling to her subconscious mind. I couldn't sense her...this was probably the stupidest thing I could ever do. __Paul…I thought hesitantly. I found his subconscious mind, but stayed as far away as I could while still able to sense him. I concentrated on keeping the sense of him in my head as I opened my eyes. "Okay," I whispered to Jesse. I didn't have enough strength to speak and keep my senses half on Paul, and half on the world around me. "You have to help me out the window and back onto the ground…" My voice sounded weak to my ears, and I almost wondered if I was actually talking. I had two pictures in front of my eyes. I had Suze's room, and then where she and Paul were. I could see them both, and I had to pay close attention, shifting. The vision was so confusing that I almost couldn't distinguish between the two places. _

            "Calixte?" Jesse said. His voice almost pulled me out of the half trance. 

            "Shh," I said, shaking my head. "Out the window." Jesse was just going to have to start obeying my orders. I felt his hand latch onto my wrist when he walked out the window onto the porch roof, and he pulled on me slightly, leading me onto the roof. I looked down onto the ground while looking at Suze and Paul. Suze was trying to get out of the ties and not succeeding; I watched Paul walk over and tighten the ropes. I clenched my hands into fists, angry at Paul. 

            "Jump," Jesse suggested, down on the ground. 

            I stood at the edge of the roof and looked down. I hesitated, then walked off. I fought hard to keep Suze and Paul in my vision as Jesse caught me and set me on my feet. I winced, feeling a headache coming on, and then started jogging in the direction I thought they were. Jesse was, of course, right next to me. I jogged for about half a mile, then turned right. I had _never been good with athletics. I was way out of shape, and could've really used my car about now…_

            "You alright?" Jesse asked when I stopped for a second to catch my breath. 

            I was leaning on my knees, breathing hard. "Fine. Shit," I added when I lost the other image. "I lost them." I ran a hand through my hair. "I think I have an idea of where I'm going now, though. Come on, Jesse. I want to get there before Slater does something to Suze," I said, and started jogging again. I was going to injure myself, I just knew it…

            "So you know where you're going?" Jesse asked me skeptically. 

            I glared at him. "If you think you know better, _you_ lead," I said, not intending to let him. "They're at the warehouse about a mile from here," I said quietly, continuing to jog. I shook my head, getting a headache. "When I get back home, the first thing I'm going to do is take Tylenol," I complained to myself. 

            "Headache?" Jesse asked gently, slowing down to a walk. 

            I nodded, then soon slowed down to a fast walk, too. The way the jogging jarred my whole body was not helping my headache. I had held a steady stream of power for too long. That always gave me a headache. I stopped suddenly, throwing an arm out and catching Jesse hard in the stomach. I frowned and looked at him with my jaw dropped. _Rock hard abs._ He had _rock hard abs. Daaaamn! If I didn't know he and Suze were in love, I would've said something. I couldn't break up true love, though I couldn't help but envy them. I tried, I really did. I just couldn't push the envy away. I was trying hard not to let it show, and as far as I could tell, neither of them knew how jealous I was. _

            "What's on your mind?" Jesse asked me, breaking the silence. 

            "Just thinking about – Um, which way to go. Ah…Right," I said, pointing and walking. 

            About five minutes later, I stopped walking and stared at the building. It was _big. Door…where's the door? What the – oh. "Window," I said, pointing to one to our left. I walked over to it and braced myself, ready for what might be inside. I did a front handspring, launching myself feet first at the window. I locked my ankles so I wouldn't sprain them if I didn't break through the glass. Fortunately, I did, and landed, wobbling, on my feet. ~Come, Jesse, ~ I called when I didn't see him directly behind me. I looked around with both my eyes and mind. Seeing no one near us, I closed my eyes and searched for Slater and Suze. The only problem was, what I saw made absolutely no sense. If that was right, then Slater was –_

            "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Catgirl, Cali Vinnett," a poisonous voice hissed in my ear. 

            "_Fuck." _

                        **Jesse**

            Slater had walked up from behind Calixte with a dagger in his hand. Instead of putting it in her back, as I had expected, he put it against her throat and wrapped his other arm around her stomach. What was going _on? Calixte had done nothing to him…_

            "But she's powerful, deSilva. She's powerful. I can't have that, now can I?" he whispered into Calixte's ear. 

            "Get _off of me, you ass-Aah!" Calixte snapped, then screamed when Paul cut into her throat slightly. "Don't kill me…just don't kill me, I beg you…please," she whimpered. What was she doing? She wasn't the kind of girl to just give in. She glanced at me, and I saw tears in her eyes. She was planning something…what was she doing? "Please," she whispered shakily, tears sliding down her cheeks from her now grey eyes. Interesting…last time I had seen her cry, her eyes had been turquoise…Oh, so that was it. I knew what she was doing, but I didn't think about it, for fear Slater would read my mind and throw her plan off. _

            "Why not, hmm?" Slater asked Calixte, his tone slightly gentler. 

            "I don't…I don't want to die!" she wailed. Wow, could she lay it on. "_Please, Paul…I – just don't kill me," she sobbed, standing straight. I looked down at her right hand, which was down by her side. The left was around his wrist, trying to get the knife away from her throat. She tensed her fingers. _Claws fully extended,_ I thought with an internal smile. _

            ~Jesse. Go save Suze, ~ she ordered me. ~I'll keep him distracted, ~ she added. "Please, Paul…" she begged. Her whole body shaking with "suppressed" sobs. On her order, I ran past her. When Slater tried to stop me, I saw her slash his wrist, or at least try. She missed and hit his forearm, but gouged it anyway. I could feel her power building up, and raced down the stairs, trying to find Susannah. 

                        **Cali**

            Okay, I was sacrificing myself to save both of them. God, was I crazy. I was completely insane, and I loved every second of it. I felt adrenaline pumping hard through my veins as I went into my battle stance. I built up power as I slashed at him with my nails. I was saving my telekinesis for when I really needed it, as I still had a headache, and that would undoubtedly make it worse. 

            "Tell me you weren't expecting that, Slater," I said cynically, brushing the now useless tears off my face. I loved acting. I really did. It helped _so much. I kicked hard at him and he grabbed my ankle to flip me, but I stood on his hand and kicked at his face. He, shockingly enough, dodged and threw me to the floor. I suddenly found myself unable to breathe. He had telekinesis, too? Or was I just winded? _

            "Tell me you weren't expecting _that_," he said coldly, glaring down at me. He was suffocating me. Screw that – I didn't need air to fight. I pushed at him with my telekinesis and threw off his concentration. In the second he wasn't pressing on me, I stood and went into stance again, claws extended, body tense and ready to kill. _Kill? Where had that come from? _

            Paul glared at me and threw the dagger, missing me completely. I didn't even need to use my telekinesis. Wow, did he have bad aim. I could've thrown better than that…He threw a ball of power at me, so I threw up a shield, off of which it ricocheted back at him. I pushed forward with my telekinesis at the same instant he did, and as we stood there, our powers locked, my head started to pound.

                        **Jesse**

            I raced down that flight of stairs, not sure I had any idea where I was going, or how I was going to get to Susannah. I would've just dematerialized and materialized, but I needed to be looking around, so I went on foot. 

            "Susannah?" I called, looking around. No answer. I walked quickly, calling her name every so often. I was worried about Calixte. I knew she was powerful, and I got the idea that she was a good fighter, but so was Slater. I got the feeling they were nearly matched as far as abilities went, but Calixte had one ability I knew Slater didn't have. 

                        **Suze**

            I had this weird feeling that Jesse was here…but I couldn't see him. What was going _on? I'd felt better ever since Cali spoke to me. Maybe I hadn't been hearing things, and she and Jesse were both here…Unlikely. But hey, a girl can dream, can't she? This was it…I knew it. I was going to die here. No one would ever find me, and I was just going to sit here and die…_

            _Suze, what are you doing? A little voice in my head was talking to me…I'm waiting for the end, I told it. __No you're not. You're getting yourself depressed. You were not hearing things. Cali talked to you and gave you energy, and now she and Jesse are both here, coming to rescue you, it said. Yeah right, I retorted. I was hearing things, and Cali and Jesse are both off doing…something. Whatever Cali does, and whatever Jesse does when I don't see him…Wait a minute. This wasn't me. What was I talking about? Like Jesse would really leave me here to rot. He might not feel the same way I do, but he's too nice to just leave me. __There you go, said the voice, approving of my new state of mind almost as much as I did. I didn't like suicidal thoughts…they scared me. "Jesse?" I called, hoping maybe by some chance he'd hear me. _

            To my total shock, he appeared in front of me. "Susannah!" he exclaimed, then knelt and wrapped his arms around me. "Oh, ah – we should get these ropes off you," he said quietly. If it wasn't my imagination, I could've sworn he'd been blushing. He reached for my arms, which were tied together at the wrists behind me, around a pole. God, was this uncomfortable. Jesse walked around behind me, and I felt him working at the knots for awhile, then I felt my arms relax and fall, hitting the floor with a thump. Jesse tossed the rope aside as I rubbed my sore wrists, and then walked back around to untie my ankles, which Paul had tied together. When that rope was off, I rubbed my ankles, too, the feeling finally coming back to them. "Finally," I said. 

            "I'm sorry we didn't come sooner, _querida_. Calixte had to find you, and I had to find her…and…I'm just so glad you're not hurt," he said, and pulled me into his arms. I wrapped mine around him, of course. He pulled back a little, but kept me in his arms as he looked into my eyes and brushed hair away from my face. My breath caught. Was he about to kiss me? In response, I closed my eyes and kind of let my mouth get all relaxed, you know? Jesse, to my glee, noticed, and went along with it. _Damn, was he a good kisser. _

                        **Cali**

            I blinked and realized I was in the air, and about to come down hard. I tried to throw Paul away so he couldn't concentrate, but almost as soon as I had thrown telekinetic energy his way, Paul dodged it and threw me hard – get this – _through the wooden floor. I landed hard on the floor directly under us, guessing I had about a thousand splinters in my back. I didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd hurt me, but dug my fingernails into my palm, ignoring the pain that shot through my arms when I pierced my own skin. Paul landed next to me in his fighting stance. _

            "Had enough?" he asked me. What the hell did he mean? Had enough of a beating? Ready to lay down and die? 

            "Hell no, you asshole," I snapped. I licked at blood that trickled from the corner of my mouth. I hate that boy. I _hate_ that boy. I used my anger to build up a huge sphere of power and then I threw it at him. He blocked it, but I followed the sphere and did a handspring, sending my boots flying at him. I hit him hard in the chest, not expecting to knock him down. But I did…Before I knew it, I was kneeling on his chest with one of my heels against his throat. I don't know how that happened, but it was very useful. At least, I thought it had been useful, until Paul threw me off of him. I hate being light…I tensed both hands, "extending" my claws. I slashed at him. When he grabbed my wrist, I twisted my arm and slashed at the back of his hand. He threw me, but then caught my leg. I used the angle to swing up and slash at him. Unfortunately, I stretched all the ligaments in my right leg in the process. It felt broken…but I couldn't stop to look at it. One of us had to go, and it was not going to be me. 

            "That was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen anyone do," Paul said dryly, almost laughing at me. It was then that I realized he was much too unbruised. He had just insulted me majorly. I swung up, still hanging from his hand, and slashed. I felt my middle claw sink into something, but I hadn't realized what it was until I fell from him grip and hit the floor on my side, wincing. 

            I gasped. "Oh God," I murmured, looking at him. I had slashed his windpipe…Oh _God…Oh god, oh god, oh god. I had killed him. I half expected him to come at me, but he leaned against a wall, struggling to breathe. _

            ~Well? ~ he mindspoke to me, gasping. ~Aren't you going to finish it? ~ 

            I couldn't speak…dear god…What have I done? Now _I_ couldn't breathe. "I…" I rasped. I couldn't think…I…oh god…What have I done? What have I _done_?


	7. Oops

A/N: I'm glad you all like it! I have interesting plans…When I finish this story, what I do next will alllllllll depend on what you guys think. Keep reviewing and all that! My loyalish fanishes! *royal wave* =D 

Oh – it might be awhile before I update this. I gotta wind down my book and all that so I can get to editing it and writing book 3! Plus I have a _veeery busy weekend. Dress shopping, Cait! WOO!_

            Chapter 7: Oops. 

**Jesse**

            My jaw dropped as I watched Calixte and Paul. She hadn't realized Susannah and I were in the room, which was understandable, considering what had just happened. It had been self defense, though…no one could blame her for that. She certainly had the wounds to prove she had fought for her life. 

            I was almost afraid to speak. "Calixte?" I said very carefully. 

            She whirled around, just seeing us now. She was looking at us, but I had the feeling she wasn't really seeing us. 

            "Paul," she whispered just audibly enough for us all to hear it as she turned back to him. 

            ~So stupid, Cali. _So_ stupid…~ he mindspoke to her, but let us all hear it. He stared into her eyes as the last of his life drained from him. I watched Calixte clap her hand over her mouth and the tears – real this time – flowed freely from her eyes. I glanced at Susannah, and she motioned for me to go to her. I cautiously walked to Calixte, who stood, staring in awe at the body of Paul Slater. 

            "Calixte?" I said softly.

                        **Cali**

            I jumped when Jesse spoke. I hadn't really seen him until now. I felt this awful pain in my head. I actually touched my temples to make sure there wasn't something like a knife in them, it hurt so much. I don't think I'd ever felt pain that bad before in my life. It hurt to breathe, hurt to blink, hurt to think…the room started to spin…I couldn't help it…my body just collapsed. 

                        **Suze**

            I stood up as Jesse lunged and caught Cali. "What should we do? I don't know how we'd explain a floating, unconscious Cali to her parents…maybe we should take her to my house," I suggested. 

            Jesse nodded and looked at the hole in the ceiling, where Cali had come through, wincing. "I'll bet she has splinters in her back," he said, looking at the way the wood seemed torn. I looked, too. I was amazed Cali hadn't been killed…but then again, we mediators are hard to kill. All of a sudden, I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. I had a bad feeling…

            "Jesse, do you feel that?" I asked him quietly, looking around. When he nodded, I bit my lip. What could possibly be making me tense like this? Why would…Oh god. It hit me. "Jesse…It's Paul…Paul's coming back…" 

            "Are you sure?" he asked me, and put Cali down against the pole I'd been tied to. When I nodded, Jesse ran a hand through his hair and looked around, waiting for the inevitable. He wrung his hands as the ominous feeling grew heavier in the air. 

            "Well, well, well. If it isn't Susannah Simon," said an…almost evil voice from behind me. I, of course, jumped forward and spun around to find the ghost of Paul Slater. Yeah, you read that right. We were screwed. Totally screwed. "Aww, what's wrong, Suze? Don't like me anymore?" He pouted. "I'm so unloved…"

            "Damn straight you're unloved, you asshole," said a matter of fact voice from behind us. Cali was awake. "Why don't you pick on someone who can teach you a lesson, Slater? Or are you just afraid of me? Hmm?" She was teasing him…I kept saying "bad idea" over and over again in my head, and after a few seconds, I heard someone laughing, but no one was talking. Then I realized Cali was laughing at my telepathically… ~He's just an arrogant, overbearing idiot who needs to be put in his place,~ she mindspoke. ~I have _nothing_ to worry about and neither do you as long as you don't get in the middle of this,~ she told me. 

            "Can I just let you know that whatever happens to you is entirely your fault?" Jesse said to Cali, hands on his hips. I suspected she had been laughing at him, too. "Don't come crying to me if he kills you," he said with a shrug. I almost laughed. Just the way he had said it was so…funny…

            "Mm – hmm," Cali said, crossing her arms over her chest, showing off her bloodstained claws. Creepy. "Okay, c'mere Slater. Lemme destroy you and get it over with," she said calmly. Whoa. Down girl, I thought at the exact same moment Paul said it. We had been on the same wavelength for a second…Ahhh!

            Paul said nothing else, but lifted a hand and threw Cali against the wall. "_Ow_," I heard her hiss through gritted teeth at him. He had telekinesis now. Uh oh. Cali was in for it…

                        **Cali**

            "Don't like that, hmm?" Slater said, walking over to me. When he was close enough, he wrapped a hand around my throat and squeezed. I coughed, then swore mentally as I realized what I had to do. I had to use that power…I hated it _soooo_ much…but if I wanted to live – which I did – I was going to have to use it. 

            "Paul," I rasped out. I used my ever so handy telekinesis to punch his shoulder, hitting the nerve that numbed that arm. "Paul…" I called. I called this voice my siren voice. It had a kind of…resonance to it. It was weird. Like singing, but speaking. As was expected, Paul froze up, staring into space. He pulled out of the trance, shaking his head, then lunged forward to try and strangle me again. I opened my mouth and voiced an earsplitting note. I'm not quite sure what note it was, but it was effective, now that I had pushed his guard down. 

            I was vaguely aware of Suze and Jesse both clapping their hands over their ears as I stared into Paul's eyes. God, were they creepy. I saw this hollow…hollow void where his soul should have been. I felt the note die, and Paul lunged again. I ducked down slightly so he'd have to bend to catch me. When he did, I did sort of an inverted flip and kicked him upside down against the pole, falling flat on my back in the process. I rolled aside as he slid down, but he landed on my wrist. I heard this sickening snap…but ignored it as I stood up. 

Paul raised his hands, standing, and I watched a sphere of brilliant white energy forming…but it was laced with tendrils of black mist, which I took to be a bad sign. Especially when they started to multiply. It was half his size when he finally let go of it, sending it hurtling towards me, and effectively at Jesse and Suze as well, since they were directly behind me. I had no idea what it was going to do, but I lunged and caught it as best I could. When I caught it, it sort of…exploded. Oops. It sent this awful shock racing through me. I swallowed hard, scared out of my wits. Had I just sealed my fate? When the shock stopped, I realized I still had some of the sphere in my hands, but it was now pure white. I blinked at it for a second, then threw it at Paul. I watched it hit him and knock him down flat on his back on the floor. 

However, when he went to get up, I realized he was against the pole and I was in the position to hurt him. What I did was exactly the opposite. I braced myself, then lunged forward and kissed him. I was thinking "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew" in my head over and over and over again, but I couldn't pull away until I felt him go into a trance. I shut my eyes, preparing to do something I vowed never to do again the first time I had gone there. I was a shifter. I hated to admit it, but I was. I pictured the shadowland, and felt myself shift realms. When I opened my eyes, I was still liplocked with Paul. I shoved him away from me, fighting the urge to gag. 

He pulled out of the trance and launched himself at me. I raised a hand and threw him at a door. "Would you get in there and stop annoying me?" I said, putting my hands on my hips. 

            Paul wordlessly glared at me, then closed his eyes and disappeared. 


	8. Cali's NotSoLittle Secret

A/N: Okay, next chapter…Lol All the reviews about Cali killing the whole "true love" thing is making me want to write. The whole thing will explain itself in time, I promise. Cali has a very, very twisted past. You'll see. Let's just say there's going to be a bit of a crossover with _my books in later chapters. _

Also, I know this is short. My brain got stopped, started mixing this with my books, lol. 

Chapter 8: Cali's Not-So-Little Secret

            **Suze** 

            That had to have been one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. Cali, who fully hates Paul's guts, just leaned over and kissed him right on the lips. Jeez. I felt sorry for her. I had a feeling this was part of her plan, whatever it was. Except for the fact that Paul got up soon, and Cali was still on the floor unconscious. Paul stood up and the first thing I noticed was the fact that his eyes were either _very_ bloodshot or just bloodred. 

            "What's wrong, Suze?" His voice was messed up, too. It was deeper, and kind of…rough. Evil?

            "Paul, what's wrong with you…?" I asked quietly, backing up as he walked towards me. I tripped over my own feet, and Jesse stepped between me and Paul. 

            "Leave her alone, Slater," he snapped, folding his arms over his chest, almost challenging Paul to do something. "What do you want with Susannah? It's Calixte you're after, isn't it? Please, Slater. Just leave her out of it," he begged. He was pleading for my safety…Wow. I've never had anyone do that for me before…

            "Or what? You'll kill me? Face it, Rico Suave. We're in the same boat. The only difference is I have another direction. I don't have to act dead. I don't have to be a ghost," he said, grinning maliciously. What the hell was he talking about? Cali had killed him. He was a ghost. _What was he talking about_? I was looking at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Too bad I didn't have telepathy like Cali. I could've really used it. He noticed me looking at him and started laughing. Just laughing…but it was the scariest thing I'd ever heard. "What am I talking about, Suze? I'm talking about another option. I'm talking about more life. I'm talking about _these_." On the word "these," there was a flash of rust-colored light, and a pair of leathery wings the color of dried blood grew from his back, tearing through his shirt with their claws. 

            "Holy -" I would've finished my sentence if Jesse hadn't covered my mouth, finishing my sentence with a Spanish curse. 

            "Nombre de dios," he breathed, staring at Paul. 

            "Nombre de dios," Paul said mockingly, stretching his wings. "Is that all you can say? How about - ?"

            "You're a stupid asshole of a guy," Cali said, finishing his sentence for him. "I can't believe you blew your cover voluntarily like that. Didn't you get the point when they exiled you?" she said calmly, stepping out in front of Jesse and me. "God, Paul. Just because you're his nephew does _not_ mean you have the right to basically _tell them_ what you are, and about – that place. You're so stupid, Paul. What the hell is wrong with you?" 

            I blinked, Cali was talking to him about…whatever it was…as if she was an older sister, bitching at her little brother for spilling to their parents that she had gone out without permission, or something. I thought she hated him…

            Jesse looked down at me. I didn't need to have telepathy to know that he was thinking the exact same thing I was. "What the _hell_ is going on?" we chorused. 

                        **Cali**

            _God_, was Paul stupid! Okay, I have a confession for everyone. I'm not quite…ah, human. In fact, I'm not human at all. I'm an angel/malaengel mix of a goddess with a dash of siren. That's why guys always fall for me. I can't help it. My mom was half siren, and an angel. My dad was half angel, half god, but he was turned evil…but not quite. See, he went through a sort of Jekyll/Hyde episode, and he was already in love with my mom. Fortunately for her, the Hyde part of him fell for her, too. This is really hard to explain…see, he died, and mom killed Lucifer…but killed herself in the process. The Hevanican master god, Indiro, gave her life back, and said she could bring back one person with her, so she chose my dad, Nic. His full name's Nicodemus, but everyone calls him Nic for short. It used to be Nick because the Jekyll part of him hated his real name. It got changed to Nic because the Hyde part liked Nicodemus. Anyway…so they both came back and then they had me sixteen years ago. I was born on earth, and Paul was born in Heaven. He's not my brother, no. He's not even related to me. He's Neo's nephew. Neodym currently holds the throne to Hell. Mom brought him back to rule after she killed off Lucifer. Paul lived in Heaven until he killed…killed my parents. He killed them. Attacked them in the middle of the night…I turned him in, and they immediately exiled him. They chopped off his feather wings (the first wings he had), which was the punishment for murder, but new ones grew in their place. Leather ones, like Neo had. Unfortunately, he managed to escape Hell and had been living under the pseudonym Paul Slater. I don't know his real name, but that isn't it. 

            "Aww, why spoil all my fun?" Paul asked me, pouting. 

            I walked over to him, spun, and kicked up, catching him hard in the jaw. "You are an asshole, Paul. You are an asshole," I said. I couldn't help it. What could I do? He had just blown his cover, and in response I had blown mine. 

            "Yeah, you demon. You're an asshole. Really," Suze said. 

            "He's not a demon, he's a malaengel," I snapped, turning my head so I could see her out of the corner of my eye. 

            "He's a…a mal-wha?" Suze said, blinking at me. 

            I turned to them and told them everything I just told you. "He's a malaengel. Not a demon. There is one big fat difference. Paul _used_ to be an angel," I said. I had no idea what I was going to do now. Everything was just _so_ confusing. I had completely spilled everything. _Everything. Oh, was I going to get a beating from the Archangel for this one…_

                        **Jesse**

            I just sort of stood there in complete shock as Calixte told us she was an angel. Angel? "What about your wings?" I asked. I couldn't help it. I was curious…

            "Oh no. No way," she insisted, backing up against the pole, as if to make sure we couldn't get to her back. 

            Paul smirked. "She just doesn't want to reveal them because they're not normal wings. Are they, goddess?" he sneered at Calixte. "Goddess?" now I was confused. What was she? A goddess, an angel, a siren…too much information for me to handle. 

            "They're perfectly – _shit_!" she exclaimed, realizing she had just admitted that she had wings. "God damn you, Paul Slater," she hissed, then murmured something in a completely bizarre language. "Hevanican, Jesse. The language is Hevanican," she corrected quietly, then was silhouetted by a blinding flash of brilliant blue light. When it faded, and my vision cleared, I saw her dark wings fully extended. I guessed she had a twelve foot wingspan. The feathers were all edged with sapphire and a cerulean blue. "Eleven and a half," she corrected as she folded them. "Close, though." 

            I looked down at Susannah and watched her jaw drop. "…Wow," she breathed. 

            Calixte was clearly disgusted with herself, not at all happy with what she had just done. "It's not as wow as you'd think. Do you have any idea how hard I trained to get these muscles?" she said, turning around to show us the muscles surrounding the bases of her powerful wings. 

            "Oh, and I haven't trained?" Paul said, raising an eyebrow at her. 

            Calixte turned to him and hissed. Just hissed, like she had hissed at Spike. I couldn't help smiling slightly. "Yes, but there's one difference: I'm trained to fight _malaengels." She said the word, sneering at him. I'd never heard her use that voice before. Now I really saw the connection between them. They were connected by pure hatred. They were opposites, and they hated each other. That made more sense than it didn't. Loads more. _

            "So now what, angel? Hmm? Someone's gonna die and it's not gonna be me," Paul Slater said, folding his arms over his chest and opening his wings slightly. 

            Calixte sighed. "Paul, don't make me use my tridaggers. My mother was the best trifighter in all the worlds, and I inherited her skills. I don't want to kill, Paul. Don't give me a reason to," she said calmly. It wasn't an order or a threat. It was just a request. "Above all, really – leave them alone," she said, gesturing towards me and Susannah. "They have nothing to do with us." 

            "Oh sure they do," Slater protested. 

            "No, they really don't." Calixte sighed. "Look. I can kill you, malaengel. I can kill you. I don't want to, but I can. What do you want, anyway? Why involve them? Why try to kill me? Explain everything. Neo doesn't want to take over Heaven, so it can't be that story again. Just leave us alone. Go back to Hell, where you belong," she snapped, glaring at him with pure hatred in her eyes. 

                        **Cali**

            Okay, why wouldn't Paul leave? He was starting to really piss me off. That was bad, seeing as I have a temper. When I get really mad, I feel no pain. I can punch clear through a wall and feel nothing. I blame my mom's side of the family for that. They _all_ had tempers. Her temper got her exiled when she was a little younger than me. 

            "Explain everything? You inherited your mother's mission. It's now _your job to protect the earthlings from us Hellatians. You're the only thing standing between _me_ and rule of Earth now," he said, glaring at me as he spoke. _

            I swallowed hard. How did he know I inherited the mission? _I didn't even know I inherited it. I wouldn't let him know he scared me. "So you're gonna kill me because I inherited a mission to protect earth?" I rolled my eyes. "Please. If I had my tridaggers on me, you'd be dead in three seconds," I said cockily. I knew I was being overconfident, but I didn't care. I watched his eyes until our gazes locked. "Paul," I called in my siren voice. Paul predictably froze. I, keeping my gaze locked with his, called to my tridaggers, which were on my bed at home. I waited, unblinking, for a full minute, and then they fell through the floor, bladefirst at me. I blinked, cutting off the spell, and reached up to them. I caught the tips of the long blades, then flipped them around, holding the hilts. They were interesting weapons. They looked like big Ws, and the outer lines were blades, shaped like symmetrical S's on either side of a single, long blade. We used them as extentions of our arms. _

            "Your tridaggers?" Paul said, smirking. "They don't look like they could do all that much damage. You're not strong enough to use those," he said, hands on his hips, sneering the whole time. 

            I started spinning them around my fingers, faster and faster until my fingers and the weapons were a big blur of flesh, crystal, and metal. "Don't make me do this, Paul," I said quietly, still spinning the weapons. 

            "Why not? You want to. I know you want to kill me, Cali. Give into your hatred," he said. He walked closer to me and I felt the blades slicing up his arm as he grabbed my wrist and started pulling my arm towards his throat. "Do it," he dared. 

            When the blades had come close to slicing his neck, I stopped spinning them and held the weapons steady in my hands. "Paul, let go of my wrist," I said, starting to freak out. I didn't really want to kill him. I hated him, but I couldn't handle killing. My mom couldn't either. "Paul," I said louder when he didn't let go. "Paul, let me go."

            "Do it, Calixte. Kill me and rid yourself of one more annoyance," Paul hissed. He was daring me. I did pride myself in never turning down a dare…I tensed my grip on the weapons, particularly the one against his neck. I pressed down slightly and felt my body start to shake. I stared into his eyes and we both remained still, until I dropped the weapons. "I knew you couldn't do it," Paul said, smirking as usual. "You're not strong enough to kill."


	9. Of Life and Death

A/N: I know chapter 8 was kind of confusing. Sorry about all that. That's where it crosses over with _my books. My books are all about Heaven/Hell, warrior angels and allllll…that…Jaaaaaazz…(Sorry, we're singing highlights from Chicago in an after school choir group I'm in and it's suck in my head…) But yeah. _

            Basically, Cali's parents were angel/gods. Isis (her mom) had some enemies in _low places (catch my drift? (Hell)), and Lucifer himself wanted her dead. He wanted to take over Earth and then take over Heaven, and Isis was protecting Earth. Cali inherited her mother's mission. Paul is Neo's nephew. Neo rules Hell. Paul wants to take over Earth and rule it. He has to get rid of Cali before he can start taking over. _

            If that doesn't explain it, feel free to e-mail me and I'll do what I can. :) (My address is in my bio.) 

            Also, I think this is the last chapter. What I do next is up t'you. I'm thinking about _my_ idea of mediator book 6. Pure Meg Cabot style, none of my characters, Suze's POV and all that. Or I could do a continuation of this. It's up to you, since I could go either way! Let me know what you think of it, please! Compliment me, flame me, tell me what you think of it! I'll respond as best I can!

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            Chapter 9: Of Life and Death                

                        **Suze**

            Whoa. This was way too much new information for me to handle. What were those weapons? Paul had called them "try-daggers" or something. She was really good at spinning those things…and Paul used to be an _angel? Well that was certainly…unexpected…_

            "You could never be as good as your mother, Cali," Paul said, shaking his head. "Why bother trying?" His eyes were glowing…it was so weird. I moved so I could look at Cali's face, and she seemed to be frozen. The only reason I knew she wasn't frozen was the fact that her eyes were reflecting the bloodred of his, and she was breathing hard. 

            "You know nothing, Slater," Cali snapped, her shaking hands clenched into fists. "I am as good as her if not better. I am the daughter of the angel and malaengel of life. I have powers you will never have," she said, and her hands started to glow. 

            "Nombre de dios," I heard Jesse breathe behind me. "Look at her veins." He pointed to her, and I did. I swallowed hard. Her veins were laced with bloodred light. What the hell…? "Calixte – ?"

            "Shut up, Jesse," she snapped, turning towards him. What Jesse saw caused him to back up fast and hit the pole, swearing in Spanish. I did the same thing, only it was English. Her irises weren't reflecting Pauls. They were bloodred, and glowing. She bent and picked up her weapons, spinning them around her fingers. She lunged and slashed Paul's arm. She yelped and looked at her arm, seeing a long gash, identical to the one on Paul's arm. "What the - ?" she watched as the gash faded slightly.

            Paul smirked. "A tad clumsy, are we?" he asked. Cali was shaking with pure rage. "How's the siren gonna get herself out of this one, hmm?"

                        **Cali**

            How _was I going to get myself out of this? I lunged and stabbed Paul's shoulder with my tridagger. I winced and dropped the weapon when an identical stab wound appeared in __my shoulder. Fuck. I was screwed. I had to get rid of him. I __had to get rid of him. But now I couldn't get rid of him without killing myself, too. And to top it all off, I didn't have my cy'enel. Cy'enels were jewel pendants with little flames in the middle, containing our extra lives. Angels have multiple lives because we're needed. We could only come back to life if we were wearing the necklace, though. I had two choices, as I saw it. I could either try to break the link and possibly kill myself, or I could kill him and kill myself for sure. Or I could just leave, and end up exactly like my parents…Okay. Whatever I did, I was probably going to die. But I had a feeling I could do one last thing before I died. Okay, I'd try breaking the link first. I closed my eyes and searched for any alien power running around in my veins. When I found it, I shuddered. It was blood red. I pulled it all towards my hands, making them very hot. It felt like I had just put my hands on a hot stove. _

            "Ow," I whimpered. I couldn't help it. It was _hot! As soon as I watched the last of the bloodred power flow into my glowing hands, I pushed it out of them, creating a sphere of it. It was as big as my head when I threw it at Paul, who just absorbed it. I bent and picked up my tridaggers, spinning them before glaring at Paul. _

            "Go ahead," he dared me. "You still won't kill me," he said, smirking. 

            I lunged and slashed at his exposed chest, cutting fairly deep. I yelped when an identical cut sliced its way into my chest, cutting my shirt open. Ahem. "Shit," I muttered, having realized I didn't break the link. Okay, now I was really screwed. That would usually break any sort of a link there was…I hate that boy. I _hate that boy. ~Jesse, ~ I mindspoke to him, knowing what I had to do. ~Look. Paul has me trapped. No matter what I do, I'll die. I need you to do me a favor, though.~ I sighed. ~Have a good life, and if you hurt Suze, I'll kill you.~ _

                        **Jesse**

            "If you hurt Suze, I'll kill you"? What was she talking about? I'm dead. She can't "kill" me. When I pointed this out to her, she laughed. 

            ~You'll see,~ she told me. ~You'll see.~ She walked closer to Paul, holding her weapons. "Goodbye, Paul," Calixte said quietly, and pressed a weapon against his chest. 

            "You won't do it," Paul said, shaking his head. He leaned forward slightly. "I know you." He winced when the long blade pierced his skin. "You won't do it because if you kill _me, you'll kill yourself, too," he murmured, then leaned forward and –ugh – kissed her. _

            Calixte dug the blade deep into his chest, pushing him away from her. "Get off me, jerk," she said, coughing as she spoke. Only when I looked at her did I see a stab wound in the left side of her chest. She pressed a hand against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding as she fell to her knees in shock. I guess she hadn't realized how much this would hurt. 

            "Cali!" I heard Susannah gasp behind me.

            ~Jesse, come here,~ I heard Calixte's voice in my head. Obediently, I walked over and knelt next to her. ~I'm giving you the rest of my life force. This might hurt a bit. When you first come back, you're probably going to have some trouble breathing, but your throat and lungs should relax once they remember how to work.~ What was this…? She was giving me her life force… 

            "When I first come back? What do you mean?" I asked, more confused than I think I've ever been. 

            ~Jesse. Shut up,~ she mindspoke, then reached up and pulled my head down. For a second I thought she was going to kiss me, or something. ~Don't flatter yourself, cowboy,~ she mindspoke weakly, smirking, having heard my thought. Oops. She rested a hand against her throat and one against my forehead. Almost immediately, I felt something hot flowing into my head. Oh, was I going to have a headache. But I didn't pull away, knowing she was doing this for me and Susannah. 

            "What's going on?" I heard Susannah ask, looking at Calixte and Paul. "What happened to them?" 

            ~Jesse will explain,~ I heard a very weak voice mindspeak. Then it hit me. Then it really hit me. Calixte was killing herself to give Susannah and me a chance to be together. Nombre de dios…

            "Calixte," I started to protest. 

            ~Shut up,~ she said. 

            "No, I won't let you –"

            ~–You're about to.~ 

            "Kill yourself so we –"

            ~-Jesse.~ That was it. Just my name. In this pain-filled, pleading voice that almost brought tears to my eyes. ~I am doing this for you and Suze. Let me. For Suze, Jesse. Let me do this. If I don't, my life will have meant nothing.~ As she told me this, she started really pouring her life force into me. I saw flashes of her memories before my eyes, and heard her voice, singing – _dios_, was she an amazing singer – speaking, laughing, crying…The memories stopped and her cold hand slipped from my forehead.

            I immediately felt a thud start up in my chest, startling me. "What the - ?" I rasped. My lungs absorbed air, and I coughed. I couldn't breathe right! What was going on? I forced myself to calm down, remembering Calixte had said it would be hard to breathe for a minute. As she had predicted, my lungs relaxed and I stopped coughing. "Susannah?" She was watching me, her jaw on the floor. "Are you alright?" I asked, walking over to her. 

            "Jesse…you're…you're not glowing," she noticed. "Are you…_alive_?" she asked, stepping closer to me, seeming almost afraid of me. "Are you really alive?" she asked, obviously awed. 

            I touched a pair of fingers to my throat and found my pulse. "Apparently," I said with a grin, which soon dropped. "She sacrificed herself for us, Susannah," I said quietly, looking down at Calixte. "The least we can do is give her a proper burial." I couldn't help it…I kept thinking she was just going to get up and say something like "Please. You think _that_ guy could actually get rid of _me?" and she'd laugh. "Yeah, right. You don't have enough faith in me, Jesse." In fact, I almost heard her say it. I knelt and checked her pulse…nothing. Dios…Paul had killed her. She hadn't killed herself. Paul had set the trap. Calixte had just seen that she couldn't get out of it, so she turned the trap on him. _

                        **Suze**

            Cali was dead…Paul was dead…Jesse was alive…it just wouldn't register. "Jesse," I said quietly to him. He was kneeling next to Cali's body, in shock. He actually jumped when I spoke. "We need to talk to Father Dom." Then I remembered. Oh god… "What are we going to tell her parents?" What _were_ we going to tell them? "Your daughter's dead. I mean your adopted kid. She's dead. Yeah, an evil dude who killed her parents set a trap she couldn't get out of, so she killed him, killing herself, and before she died, she brought my boyfriend back to life. Sorry about that." Yeah, _not. _

            Jesse nodded. "Yes, we need to speak to Father Dominic…" He blinked and shook his head. "This is so weird, _Querida_." He had called me _querida_! Oh, how I loved the caressing tone he used when he said that word… "I'm suddenly alive again…and _very_ out of fashion, if I do say so myself," he said with a grin up at me. He sighed. "Alright." He picked Cali up in his arms easily and walked over to me. "To Father Dominic we go." 

            I stopped him. "Jesse. Telephone," I said, and pointed to the one on the wall. I knew Father D's number by heart, so I picked up the phone and dialed. 

            "Hello?" a woman's voice said sharply. Sister Ernestine. Wow, did she annoy me. 

            "Hi, can I speak to Father Dominic?" I asked sweetly as I could. 

            "Susannah Simon, do you have any idea how late it is?" she asked. If I had seen her, I imagine she'd be glaring at the phone about now. 

            "Actually, no…I don't have a watch on me. I'm sorry, Sister. Can I talk to him? Please? It's an emergency," I added, crossing my fingers to excuse the half-lie. Well, two people I knew were dead, and one who was dead was alive. So it was _kind of an emergency…no one was dying. They were already dead. _

            "Hello Susannah. I'm so glad you called about the -"

            "Father Dom, I'm not anywhere near home. Don't worry about someone being on the other line, unless the phone in the warehouse is tapped." Before he could say anything, I said "Look, I'll get to the point: Paul and Cali are dead, and Jesse is alive." 

            I heard Father Dom start choking on the liquid I imagine he had been drinking. "_What_?" he hissed into the phone. "I'll be right there." 

            "You know where it is, right? It's the one about five miles from the Mission," I reminded him. When he told me he did know and would be right there, I nodded. "Okay, 'bye," I said, and hung up. I was soon enveloped in a hug so tight I thought my ribs were going to crack. 

            "I'm just so glad you're safe," Jesse whispered into my hair, then kissed the top of my head. We stayed in each other's embrace for about five minutes until we heard someone calling our names. 

            "Susannah? Jesse?" Father Dom called up the stairs. 

            "Up here, Father D!" I called to him, pulling myself very reluctantly out of Jesse's arms. When he walked up the stairs, he stared at Jesse for, like, five minutes, then blinked. 

            "So you're alive, then," he said, regaining his composure. I almost laughed. It was so funny...

            "So I am," Jesse said, also fighting laughter. "It's more important that you look at them, though," he said, gesturing to Cali and Paul, who lay there on the hard wooden floor with identical wounds. 

            Father Dom knelt between Cali and Paul. He checked both their pulses, shaking his head each time he felt nothing. "What do we tell their parents?" he asked with a sigh, straightening. 

            "Well I thought something along the lines of 'sorry your adopted daughter is dead. This idiot, Paul Slater kind of put her in a death trap that she couldn't get out of, so she turned it back on him by killing him and herself at the same time. She would've died anyway, but she brought my boyfriend – I – I mean…back to life," I stammered. I felt myself start to blush, realizing I had just called Jesse my boyfriend without checking to see if he really was first. My blush deepened when Jesse grinned at me. 

            "Well that's a bit too straightforward for this, Susannah. Wait a second. She has _wings_! They both have wings…Where did _those_ come from?" he asked, looking to see if the wings were connected to their backs. "Oh dear…this is going to take some explaining." 

            "'Oh dear' is right," Jesse muttered

            I nodded. "Well, they're angels. Paul used to be one, and Cali was born on earth," I started, wishing she was here to correct me when I got information wrong (which I was sure I was going to do). About a minute later, I finished. 

            "Susannah, could you repeat that? At a _human_ speed?" Father Dom said, resting his hands on his hips. Oops. I forgot not everyone can register speech as fast as mine. Hell, _I_ can't even register it…I repeated it, slowly. "Well that was a little better," he said when I finished. 

            "Now what are we going to do about those two?" Jesse asked, gesturing towards the two dead…forms on the floor. Well, I don't know what to call them. They're not human, but they're not angels either. Well, Cali technically is, but Paul isn't. "We need to bury Calixte," Jesse said. 

            "We need to bury Calixte _and_ Paul," Father Dominic corrected. 

            "Father Dominic, if it weren't for Paul, Calixte would be alive," Jesse pointed out, glaring. 

            "But if it weren't for him, you wouldn't be alive," I said, touching his arm gently, letting him know I was still here. He turned around to face me and his gaze immediately softened. Aww, he likes me!

            "I realize that, Susannah," he said. "and of _course_ I like you," he said, laughing slightly. "What made you ever think I didn't like you?" 

            I blinked. "What?" I hadn't said anything…Oh, my GOD. When Cali brought him back to life, she gave him her life force, and apparently, _also her powers. Jesse could hear my thoughts…Oh, man. I'm screwed. _

            Jesse grinned. "You realize I've heard everything you just thought…right?" he said to me. 

            I glared at him and smacked him in the shoulder. "Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. 

            "Calixte's powers are a lot of fun," he said, still grinning. "No, Father Dominic, I have no idea why I have her powers," Jesse said to him, turning. When Father D opened his mouth again, Jesse cut him off. "But they're so much fun!" he said, laughing at the stunned look on Father D's face. 

            "Jesse, you - "

            "I don't see why I shouldn't have fun with them," he said. Well _this_ was a change in Jesse I hadn't expected… "But is it a change for the better or worse?" Jesse asked, turning back towards me. 

            "Oh shut up, Jesse." 

                                                            FIN

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A/N: Okay, that's the end. I didn't expect that, lol…those characters are evil little things! Wow…Lol. What d'you think? You guys want me to continue with this, or write a pure Meg Cabot style fic? It's up to you! I'll go with whatever the majority of the first ten say! (If there aren't 10, I'll go with the majority of those. *Grin*)


	10. Author's Note

            Author's note from Cali Vinett

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             If I were to continue with this fic, I would be writing a sequel. 

            **Rain: Yeah, it would be kind of a Jesse/Suze thing, only without Paul Slater. Unless, of course, he finds away to come back… (Muahahaha) Lol don't ask…**

            **Cait: Whee!! Yes, I do know…Lol – love ya, sis!**

            **Rachel: Y'know, I just might do that...**

            **EvilAngel101: Thanks! So glad you like it!**

            **Allhailstitch****: I just have a single correction (because I'm a complete perfectionist/grammar/facts freak) – angel, not fairy.  Yeah, that was kind of…different. I intended to keep this Cali separate from the Cali who will be appearing in book 3, but it didn't quite work. Oh well. *Grin***

            **Nothin**** to you: Yours is by far one of the most enthusiastic reviews! Actually, all of yours are. Lol. Very encouraging – thanks! (and amusing, but that's beside the point. XD )**

            **Luna: Glad I could clear things up for you! I might do mediator 6, but the majority says continue, so I think I'll be doing that first. I never run out of ideas. (Muahaha) and while I'm writing the continuation of this, I'll be plotting my idea of numero six. (Mm, Français.) **

            Okay. The sequel is entitled _Life Without __Cali__ (I'm not entirely sure what the plot is yet, but we'll see…Moohaha.) _

            Do me a favor and take a look at my random idea on fictionpress.net, would you? Just look up Cali Vinett and you should find both my original fic-things. ^^;; Thanks in advance!!

            _Also: You may actually see published books by me. I will probably end up publishing them under my pen name, which would in fact be Cali Vinett. I really don't like my real name. I'm too picky, and it doesn't flow right. Irene Zarr. It's so…_flat_. Isn't it? Cali Vinett works much better. *Grin* So my books could be under either of those names. The three so far are _Malaengel_,__ Angel Wings,__ and_ Demangelon_. In that order. Woo. I have an evil plot…in our junior year (which I am in (though I'd rather be a senior, believe me.)) we have to go to someone and be interviewed, as if we were getting interviewed for a real career. I'm planning to get interviewed by a publisher. MUAHAHAHAHA. This way, I can pitch my work to a publisher __without _paying a literary agent!_ This alllll relies on one of them agreeing to interview me. Cross your fingers for me! _


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